Ashamed to be a citizen of a country that arrests people for ‘dissent and protest’. Recalling that the slogan ‘Speaking Truth to Power’ originated with the Quakers. - ThreadSky

jowolff.bsky.social • 29 days ago

Ashamed to be a citizen of a country that arrests people for ‘dissent and protest’.

Recalling that the slogan ‘Speaking Truth to Power’ originated with the Quakers.

Reposted from Quakers in Britain

🚨 Outrage as 20 police officers break into Westminster Quaker Meeting House and arrest six. 🚨
This shocking violation of a place of worship is a direct result of crackdowns on protest and dissent - freedom of speech, assembly and democracy are at risk.🕊️
👉 www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...

Comments

asigot.tech•28 days ago

They were planning peaceful protests against genocide and a boycott of israeli goods, so they broke the door down and arrested them all for conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, this is despicable

decahedronx.bsky.social•28 days ago

Got a source for that info?

asigot.tech•28 days ago

Yes.

e3diot.bsky.social•28 days ago

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/29/met-raids-quaker-meeting-house-and-arrests-six-women-at-youth-demand-talk

decahedronx.bsky.social•28 days ago

Thank you

suhails.bsky.social•28 days ago

I think our milk is turning sour too. Professor what is our world coming to when they are taking umbrage with Quakers?

aardgoose.info•28 days ago

Not Quakers. A protest group rented the hall.

patblair.bsky.social•28 days ago

Who ordered the raid, and on what grounds?

gillmh.bsky.social•28 days ago

My question too.

winny3001.bsky.social•28 days ago

The problem with one-sided reporting like this, is it feeds the MAGA narrative that free speech is suppressed in Britain (it’s not) which, in turn, feeds Reform. How about balanced reporting? The article itself says the room was hired and we don’t know what intelligence the police were working off.

e3diot.bsky.social•28 days ago

Exactly. I don’t understand why this Quaker-written story is getting so much traction when this one isn’t:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/29/met-raids-quaker-meeting-house-and-arrests-six-women-at-youth-demand-talk

lzsl.bsky.social•28 days ago

The Guardian only published their news story about 24 hours after the Quaker statement came out, so I think it’s just about timing

winny3001.bsky.social•28 days ago

Because a balanced story doesn’t fit an anti-Labour agenda.

lancashirehotpot.bsky.social•26 days ago

None of that justifies what the police did. People are allowed to protest (and plan protests) that are non violent. If you're okay with this kind of anti-protest authoritarianism then you have to be happy with where this inevitably leads.

winny3001.bsky.social•26 days ago

Unfortunately I wasn’t privy to the intelligence that the police acted upon. Therefore, I am in no position to comment on the type of protest that was being planned. As this information wasn’t included in the Quaker article, I think it unwise to jump to conclusions.

lancashirehotpot.bsky.social•26 days ago

Man, if you can't see what's going on here you're just burying your head in the sand. None of these people have your best interests at heart. There's a reason that Labour refused to repeal the Tories' anti-protest legislation. They want to be able to rule with an iron fist.

winny3001.bsky.social•26 days ago

You seem to be mistaking my wish for both sides of the story so that I can use critical thinking to come to my own conclusion about the rights and wrongs of what happened with my political leanings.

hhenrike.bsky.social•29 days ago

This in unbelievable. What is going on?

asgeirberg.bsky.social•29 days ago

Exactly my question? What is going on?

asigot.tech•28 days ago

Israeli.. They got arrested for conspiracy to commit public nuisance... IE peaceful protests

e3diot.bsky.social•28 days ago

There’s a bit more context in this story.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/29/met-raids-quaker-meeting-house-and-arrests-six-women-at-youth-demand-talk

mallardgryph.bsky.social•28 days ago

If this story is true it's absolutely fucking nuts and the starmer govt is every bit as authoritarian as I feared

alanf.bsky.social•29 days ago

How do you know what they were arrested for?
Have the police released a statement?

jowolff.bsky.social•29 days ago

A bit more here:

https://uknip.co.uk/news/uk/breaking/nine-arrested-in-major-police-crackdown-on-youth-demand-welcome-event/

alanf.bsky.social•29 days ago

Thanks, the youth wing of Extinction Rebellion then. I wonder what they were planning.

ovcollyer.com•28 days ago

According to that article they said “Young people all over the country are coming together to shut London down day after day throughout April.”

asigot.tech•28 days ago

Peaceful protests against israeli genocide is what they were planning

dickiedavies.bsky.social•28 days ago

It’s supposed to be a free country and we can protest about what we want.

alanf.bsky.social•28 days ago

Depends upon what form the protest takes doesn't it?

dickiedavies.bsky.social•28 days ago

Not really if it’s peaceful.

rabelaisi.bsky.social•28 days ago

Is this seriously what happened? - are we trying to Out Trump the Orange Toad?

bthjf1.bsky.social•28 days ago

.. is UK to desperate to please the US administration ? Must read in France (translated to english)

https://www-francetvinfo-fr.translate.goog/monde/usa/presidentielle/donald-trump/diversite-l-ambassade-des-etats-unis-met-la-pression-a-des-entreprises-francaises-en-questionnant-leurs-pratiques-bercy-reagit_7157694.html?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

fredfelt.bsky.social•28 days ago

When the right to protest depends entirely on what you are protesting about

hotchkiss13.bsky.social•28 days ago

Just stop oil, jail. Farmers, no problem.

gillmh.bsky.social•28 days ago

Yep. There's probably some law about arresting rich people though 🤔

simonehochgreb.bsky.social•28 days ago

Nuts. Three people still in custody: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1022455646436084

simonehochgreb.bsky.social•29 days ago

How on earth was this allowed to happen? I have not seen a statement from the police.

clearlight.bsky.social•28 days ago

Not seeing anything in mainstream UK news either, but CNN have the story

e3diot.bsky.social•28 days ago

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/29/met-raids-quaker-meeting-house-and-arrests-six-women-at-youth-demand-talk

clearlight.bsky.social•28 days ago

The PR line from Labour's Neoreactionary Right appears to be:

'It's only being reported by Novara and people like that, it's not on the BBC or in the Guardian, so it must be fake news'

Here's CNN - https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/28/europe/quakers-arrests-london-intl-latam/index.html

nictait.bsky.social•27 days ago

Story getting more traction at last - coming up now on Sky News Press Preview. Unbelievable !

maketsufi.bsky.social•28 days ago

As a result, people will elect Farage and then be really surprised when things just magically get even worse. 🤷🤦

wikibickle.bsky.social•28 days ago

I’d thought this crap would stop after we turfed out the last government

bartiddu.bsky.social•28 days ago

Many of us on the left, who’ve left the Labour Party since 2020, warned that Starmer was an authoritarian turd.
So I have no idea why anyone is surprised at how his government is turning out.

clearlight.bsky.social•27 days ago

Almost nothing shows that a regime is evil and on the wrong side of history more clearly, than sending armed cops to kick in the door of a Quaker meeting house, because the people inside wouldn’t shut up about climate change and genocide

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